


Quiet Me.  1/1.

by punky_96



Category: The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 04:29:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12449715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/punky_96/pseuds/punky_96
Summary: Re-post from LJ.Nigel helps both Andrea and Miranda in the aftermath of a car accident.





	Quiet Me.  1/1.

**Title** : Quiet Me. 1/1.  
 **Characters** : Andy/Miranda  
 **Prompt** : Quiet me. Requested by ikbenniethier.  
 **Word Count:**  1247  
 **Rating** : G and sad-ish.  
 **Summary:**  Nigel helps both Andrea and Miranda in the aftermath of a car accident.  
 **Disclaimer** : standard disclaimer on my fic community and my LJ page  
 **A/N** : Truthfully, for some reason this prompt had me thinking of violence/tragedy or continuing ‘Bleak World.’ I didn’t want to write either one. Eventually I settled on this. It is much more hopeful and doesn’t involve a tragedy to the twins or anything. I’m fairly certain it is not what you had in mind when you selected it, but the muse is often fickle.  
  
  
 _ **Quiet Me. 1/1.**_  
  
Andrea had not stopped working—Nigel had moved into Emily’s desk ‘to answer phones.’ The brunette had not caught on to what was going on. She simply answered the phone, typed emails, and drank coffee after coffee. He wasn’t sure what to do about the problems lining up one after the other, but he knew this one would have to be dealt with sooner than later. Miranda would kill him if he let the brunette harm herself in any way. The sad fact was that they each didn’t know about the other’s feelings.  
  
He wanted to close the office. No one expected to meet with Miranda, not with the car accident splashed all over Page 6. Serena was with Emily. He could easily work from home or take a few days off and kill himself with catch up.  
  
The brunette didn’t have anyone or anywhere to go. Runway was her job and her only link to Miranda.  
  
He watched her losing focus and fighting to come back to the here and now that held little of interest to her.  
  
She was across town, sitting here at her desk on the 17th floor when that bus lost control and hit the town car. Yet, Nigel knew she would never forgive herself for not being there, not being able to protect Miranda, not be able to stop the force of nature. She still had on the same clothes. Her make up was gone. He had convinced her that zombie wasn’t the ‘in’ look this season. He even got a half-hearted smile for that one.  
  
“Andrea,” he paused as she tried to focus on him from across the way. “I need those Balencia gowns for the shoot next week. Would you be a dear and bring them on a rack for me?”  
  
Wiping at her face, Andrea blinked a few times as she processed his words. Only stumbling slightly, Andrea rose to her feet. Grabbing the desk for a few seconds, she was able to nod her head in the affirmative.  
  
Shaking his head as he watched her go, Nigel contemplated that when she first started it would have been a delicious treat to torture the poor girl with Emily. Only now he felt as sorry for the brunette as he felt for his best friend and his most cheeky associate. Picking up the phone, he made a decision. “Tell me they took her off the meds and are waiting for her to wake up.” The answer wasn’t as immediate as he would have liked, but that was why he had sent Andrea on such an asinine and time-consuming errand. “I’m bringing Andrea.” After a few more uttered phrases, he hung up.  
  
*** *** ***  
  
The hallway was quiet. Visiting hours were well and truly over. Miranda lay in the hospital bed. Her hair was flat against her face and with her eyes closed there seemed to be no spark. The monitoring machines played their steady rhythms as they monitored the silver lady. Nigel made as if to take off his shoes and encouraged Andrea to step out of her heels. She followed his example not noticing his deception. Holding his arm, Andrea let Nigel push her further into the room. “You need to see her for yourself, Andrea.” His voice held a note of reassurance that Andrea took small comfort from. “Only scratches.” He motioned to her face. “A broken arm.” He pointed to Miranda’s right arm on the farther side of the bed. Andrea noted that it was a long arm cast and she inhaled in mild relief as she remembered that it was a forearm break that hadn’t needed surgery. “And I’m sure some bruises.”  
  
Andrea turned and held Nigel as she sobbed into his chest. “She’s not awake.”  
  
Nigel held her and he tried to convince himself that her voice was only as loud as it seemed because it was right in his ear. He didn’t bother with words as he caressed her back and cooed to her. He wanted to tell her that Miranda would wake up, that she was stable and they had taken her off the meds that they originally had her on. He wanted to let go of the brunette and have his boss sitting up giving them dirty looks for falling apart because of a silly car accident. He didn’t say any of those things, however. He just hoped in silence instead of offering promises that he had no way to follow up on.  
  
When Andrea had slowed her weeping to sniffles, Nigel turned to the bed. Pulling the blanket away on the side closest to them, he told Andrea, “You need to sleep here.” Too tired to object, Andrea simply gaped at him. “You can’t sleep in the chair.” He glared at the brunette hoping that she would snap to. Sighing, he said, “Listen, I’ll stay in the chair, but you need to lie down.”  
  
Fresh tears leaked down her face and Andrea backed away, “No, Nigel. No. No. I couldn’t.”  
  
In the seconds that it took for Nigel to tilt his head and begin to think of how to convince her. A thready voice from the bed decidedly did it for him. “Andrea.” The paitent's good arm reached out toward them before patting the bed next to her.  
  
Andrea could not have stayed away if she had wanted to—Miranda was awake, calling for her, and motioning to her. Nigel practically pushed her forward. Checking the plastic cup on her bedside, Nigel frowned and then rushed to the bathroom sink to get some fresh water. He held it and the straw to Miranda’s lips until she finally broke her eye contact with the brunette to take in a sip. Her hand came up to hold the straw in place, but her eyes returned right to those brown doe eyes staring at her.  
  
At her nod, Nigel pulled the glass away and set it back on the side table. He wondered if he should slip away quietly since neither of the women would notice anyway. He had no doubt that Andrea would stay with Miranda, but the thought of her curled up in the uncomfortable green hospital chair made him roll his eyes.  
  
“Get in, Andy. There’s room.” He pushed her closer to the bed, but even master manipulator that he was, he couldn’t force her to lift her leg up to crawl in. Miranda’s eyes fluttered and her gaze flickered over to Nigel. The glow in the blue eyes questioned him, but she just blinked and moved over a bit.  
  
“How many times must I…” Miranda murmured the old jibe, but there was no sting in her smile as Andrea placed a knee up on the bed and then angled herself down along Miranda’s side. Nigel grunted a laugh, but he pulled the blanket over the both of them.  
  
“I know you two haven’t even talked yet, so let me fast forward this.” His brown eyes looked at the both of them each hovering on the edges of consciousness. “You both like each other, remember that in the morning.” Getting no response, Nigel looked at the monitors and breathed in and out for a few moments. He needed to go over and see if Serena was managing any sleep at Emily’s bedside. If either the patient or the caretaker were awake, he’d let them know that Miranda had come up for a moment before pulling Andrea into her good arm.  
  
Fin.  
  
x


End file.
